Strong Ties, High Trust: A Comprehensive Look at Community Engagement Among Latter-day Saints in the United States

WASHINGTON — Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints stand out significantly from the broader American population when it comes to community engagement, volunteerism, and social trust. According to comprehensive new data released by the Pew Research Center, members of the faith—frequently and historically referred to as Mormons—display remarkably high rates of civic participation, outstripping nearly every other major religious tradition in the United States regarding charitable service and interpersonal confidence.

The findings form part of a broader, deep-dive project titled “Tradition and Change Among Latter-day Saints in the U.S.,” which draws heavily from the Center’s comprehensive 2023–24 Religious Landscape Study (RLS). This massive undertaking involved surveying 36,908 randomly sampled U.S. adults, a cohort that included 565 active members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—comprising 414 lifelong members and 151 converts—alongside 316 former members.

Main Facts and Core Findings

At the heart of the Pew Research Center’s latest data release is a picture of a deeply integrated, highly active religious community. Membership within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is structured heavily around communal responsibilities. Adult members typically hold specific congregational duties known as “callings” and are assigned specific individuals or families to mentor, serve, and support through official ministering programs. Furthermore, a substantial number of young adults and older members choose to embark on formal proselytizing and humanitarian missions.

These structural and spiritual obligations translate directly into measurable civic actions:

• Exceptional Volunteerism: Nearly three-quarters of Latter-day Saints (72%) report spending time volunteering over the course of the previous 12 months. This is nearly double the rate of the general U.S. adult population, where only 41% report similar levels of volunteer work.
• Surpassing All Traditions: In no other major religious group analyzed by Pew Research do a majority of adherents report volunteering during the past year, cementing Latter-day Saints at the absolute forefront of religious civic engagement in America.
• High Social Trust: Approximately 48% of Latter-day Saints believe that “most people can be trusted,” placing them among the most trusting religious communities in the United States, well above the national average of 34% for all U.S. adults.
• Demographic Nuances: Within the church, volunteer rates and social trust indexes vary by education and geography. Members with a bachelor’s degree or higher exhibit even higher engagement, with 91% reporting recent volunteer work and 60% expressing high social trust.

Chronology and Research Background

To understand how contemporary Latter-day Saints view their communities and interact with American society, researchers at the Pew Research Center trace modern attitudes against a backdrop of prior landmark studies and shifting institutional guidelines.

• January 2012: The Pew Research Center publishes its first major, dedicated comprehensive survey of Latter-day Saints in America, establishing a baseline for understanding the demographic, political, and religious characteristics of the faith.
• October 2018: The leadership of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints formally clarifies its stance on nomenclature, emphasizing the full name of the church and actively discouraging the use of the term “Mormon” to refer to the institution or its individual members.
• July 17, 2023 – March 4, 2024: Fieldwork is conducted for the comprehensive Religious Landscape Study (RLS). Funded by major grants from philanthropic organizations including The Pew Charitable Trusts, Lilly Endowment Inc., Templeton Religion Trust, The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, and the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, the survey captures responses from tens of thousands of Americans.
• February 26, 2025: Pew Research publishes initial broad findings from the RLS, noting that the broader decline of Christianity in the United States has slowed and potentially leveled off, while releasing foundational demographic and spiritual datasets.
• September 22, 2026: Pew Research formally rolls out its specialized report package, “Tradition and Change Among Latter-day Saints in the U.S.,” authored by researchers Jonathan and Rebecca Leppert, detailing civic engagement, social trust, and evolving internal dynamics within the faith.

Supporting Data and Demographic Breakdowns

A closer examination of the data reveals distinct patterns within the Latter-day Saint population based on education, age, and geography. While community involvement is high across all segments, certain groups report even greater participation.

Volunteerism Among Latter-day Saint Subgroups

When asked if they spent time volunteering in the past 12 months, respondents answered across various demographics as follows:

• All Latter-day Saints: 72%
• By Education: Members holding a bachelor’s degree or higher report a staggering 91% participation rate in volunteer activities. Among those with less formal education, the figure sits at 61%.
• By Geography: Those residing in the traditional Mountain region (defined by Pew as Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming) show an 80% volunteer rate, compared with 62% for members living elsewhere across the United States.
• By Age: Younger members show robust engagement, with 78% of adults aged 18 to 49 reporting recent volunteer work, compared with 63% of adults aged 50 and older.

Social Trust Relative to Other American Religious Traditions

When surveyed on whether “most people can be trusted” versus asserting that “you can’t be too careful in dealing with people,” Latter-day Saints register significantly higher levels of trust than the national average. A comparative breakdown of U.S. religious traditions shows:

1. Hindu: 51%
2. Jewish: 51%
3. Latter-day Saint (Mormon): 48%
4. Mainline Protestant: 43%
5. Buddhist: 39%
6. Catholic: 35%
7. Religiously Unaffiliated: 35%
8. Evangelical Protestant: 30%
9. Orthodox Christian: 29%
10. Muslim: 28%
11. Historically Black Protestant: 19%
12. All U.S. Adults (Average): 34%

In addition to interpersonal trust, the landscape study highlights that Latter-day Saints frequently report feeling a profound sense of spiritual and emotional connection with humanity on a weekly basis, reinforcing the theological emphasis placed on brotherhood, service, and global fellowship within their teachings.

Official Responses and Nomenclature Guidelines

The release of the Pew Research Center report also renews a discussion regarding the terminology used to describe members of the faith. For decades, the church embraced terms such as “Mormon”—seen in campaigns like the early 2010s “I’m a Mormon” initiative and applied to cultural assets like the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

However, under current church leadership, a distinct shift has taken place. In late 2018, church President Russell M. Nelson stressed the theological importance of using the formal, revealed name of the organization: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Church style guides actively discourage the public and media from using “Mormon” as a shorthand for the church or its adherents.

In drafting and releasing their research, Pew Research Center analysts have navigated this transition thoughtfully. Researchers primarily apply the official designation—referring to the faithful as “Latter-day Saints”—while retaining limited references to the term “Mormon” in parentheses to ensure immediate comprehension for general readers who may be less familiar with the formal title.

Official commentary accompanying the study emphasizes that the research aims to paint an accurate, respectful, and empirically grounded picture of how modern Latter-day Saints navigate an increasingly secularized and politically polarized American landscape without losing their distinct communal identity.

Sociological Implications and Future Outlook

The data collected in the 2023–24 Religious Landscape Study carries profound implications for American civil society. At a time when sociologists frequently document a nationwide "bowling alone" phenomenon—characterized by declining memberships in civic organizations, dropping social trust, and growing isolation among Americans—the Latter-day Saint community presents a striking counter-narrative.

1. The Power of Institutional Structure

The high rates of volunteerism (72%) and social trust (48%) among Latter-day Saints suggest that mandatory or strongly encouraged communal structures can effectively insulate a population against broader cultural trends of isolation. Because church organization relies heavily on localized congregations (wards and stakes) where administrative and charitable tasks are distributed among lay members, individuals are structurally integrated into networks of mutual aid.

2. Education as an Engagement Multiplier

Interestingly, the data challenges assumptions that higher education secularizes or distances individuals from community groups. Among Latter-day Saints, those with a bachelor’s degree or higher are significantly more likely to volunteer (91% vs. 61%) and to exhibit social trust (60% vs. ~40%) than their less-educated peers. This indicates that within this specific religious ecosystem, higher educational attainment equips individuals with greater resources, mobility, and capacity to fulfill communal and civic duties.

3. Geographic Concentrations and Cultural Enclaves

The geographic divide—showing 80% volunteerism in the Mountain states compared with 62% elsewhere—points to the influence of cultural density. In states like Utah and Idaho, where Latter-day Saints comprise a substantial portion of the population and shape regional civic institutions, community engagement is heavily reinforced by local cultural norms and infrastructure.

As Pew Research Center continues to release subsequent analyses from its exhaustive project—exploring everything from political alignment and partisan divides to nuanced theological shifts—the portrait of America’s Latter-day Saints remains one of robust internal cohesion, high civic output, and steadfast community dedication.

Recommended Citation:
Evans, Jonathan, and Rebecca Leppert. 2026. “Tradition and Change Among Latter-day Saints in the U.S.” Pew Research Center. DOI: 10.58094/a124-c097.